Kuba Shoowa Dance Skirt Panel

Kuba weavers do not believe in empty space.

Kuba weavers of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, made this Shoowa dance skirt panel in raffia in the 20th century. Raffia cloths of this kind are commonly wrapped as skirts for dance and ceremony, and Kuba textile patterns are admired for their geometry. A rust-red center of small interlocking diamonds is bordered on both sides by tan bands, each outlined in black with a repeating rounded-square motif. The fiber has the matte, papery feel of raffia.

About 38 by 19 inches. Hang it flat and let the border do the framing.